Why Is Mexico Asking the U.S. Senate for a Registry of U.S. Gun Owners?

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Mexican lawmakers will ask the U.S. Senate to create a registry of all commercialized firearms in border states, which includes California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Mexico says it will make it easier to trace guns used in violent attacks.

The measure was reportedly approved on January 9 by Mexico's Permanent Commission, a government entity that meets when Mexico's Senate and the Chamber of Deputies is in recess. Gun owners in Arizona are calling the proposal "foolish" and an "invasion of privacy."

Watch KPHO-TV's report below:

CBS 5 - KPHO

A number of the gun owners interviewed by KPHO-TV also referenced the Obama administration's disastrous gun-running operation known as "Fast and Furious."

The operation, conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), allowed illegal straw buyers to walk across the border with nearly 2,000 firearms, including semi-automatic rifles. The weapons ultimately ended up in the hands of Mexican drug cartel members and were used in a number of crimes, including murders and kidnappings.

Further, a gun from Fast and Furious was found at the murder scene of U.S. Border Agent Brian Terry in December of 2010.

Democrats in Congress have been calling for a ban on semi-automatic rifles and universal background checks for all firearms sales, some even calling for a national gun registry. Further, Democrats in Missouri and California have proposed bills that would result in the possible confiscation of semi-automatic rifles.

TheBlaze has reached out to several members of the U.S. Senate and will update this story as new information becomes available.